Method of making ladders.



T. D. DALLIVIEYER.

METHOD 0F MAKlNG LADDERS;

APPLICATION FILED JULY13,1914.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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METHOD 0F MAKING LADDERS.

APPL1CAT1011-F|LED1ULY13.1914.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 1

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rrrorrAs n. nALrLr/rErEn, or Prrrsennen, PENNsrLyANrA, AssroNoE ro VALLEY roEerNo coNPANr, or yEnoNA, PENNSYLVANIA, A- coEPoEArroN or nELAwAEE.

METHOD OF MAKNG LADDERS.

Patented Aeg.. ee, rare.

Application led July lit, 19M. Serial No, 850,732.

.To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that ll, THOMAS l). DALL- MEYER, a citizen vof the United States, and residenty of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedl a new and useful improvement in Methods of Making Ladders; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to method of making metallic ladders.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple method of forming from sheet metal ladders which are strong and rigid in construction and adapted particularly for use on freight cars.

My invention consists, generally stated, in punching or cutting out a series of spaced openings in a metal sheet, bending the metal between the openings to form the rounds, and so bending the sides as to form'. a strong and rigid construction.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a planview of a portion of a ladder blank showing the die for cutting the openings in section; Fig. 2 is a like view showing the rounds bent up and the die for forming same together with the bending of the metal alongthe sides; Fig. 3 is an inslde view of a portion of the ladder showing the manner in which the metal is bent to form lthe rounds and the strengthening ribs; Fig. t is the inside view of portion' of the hnished ladder; Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a cross-section on theline 6 6, Fig. 2; Fig. 'l' is a section on the line 7 7, Fig. 2; Figs. 8 and 9' are sectional views showing the manner of bending the rounds to finished shape.

ln the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a sheet of metal of suitable 'gage to give the required strength and rigidity, and said sheet has the openings 3 cut therein at intervals leaving the webs d between the several openings. rlhesel openings are'cut in by suitable dies, the numeral 5 indicating the upper die and the numeral 6, thelower die. 'llhe upper die has the knife portion 7, and the lower die has the knives 8 secured thereto.- The openings 3 are cut'with the slight recesses 9 at the corners, and the corners are` also rounded as at 10.

he neat step of the operation is the bend ing of the web-portions l into lll-shape as indicated in Fig. 2. rFhis is done by suitable dies, the lower die being indicated by the numeral 1l, and the upper die by the numeral l2.- rlhe lower 'die has the projecting portions 13, which bend the metal along the sides to form the outer flange lland the indicated in Fig. 7. By the lowering of the die l2, the metal is forced to take the position indicated in Fig. ti, and this is shown e in plan view in Fig. 2. The corners areA likewise rounded by these dies as at i8, and at the same time, the strengthening ribs 25 are struck up by the dies l1 and l2 during the bending of the web-portions d to tlshape. When the metal has been bent in this manner, the final operation of bringing the rounds to nished shape is accomplished by the dies illustrated in Figs. 3 and 9. llhe lower die 20 has the seat 2l to receive the lll-shape portion, and said die is provided with the movable formers 22, which are adapted to be moved toward each other in the position indicated in Fig. 9 so as to bend the metal into a substantially round' form in cross-section; and in order to turn in the ends so that there will be no rough parts or projections to injure'or cut the hands of the person using the ladder, the upper die 23 is provided with the projection 2t which is adapted to engage the metal and bend the fili lili

ends inwardly as clearly indicated in Fig. 9.

yto the hand, and at the same time, the metal is-so bent and shaped as to increase the ri- `gidity and neatness of ap earance. These ladders are particularly a apted tor use on Miti ti() inner flange l5, as clearly indicated in Fig. d.

freight cars, and being formed from one piece of metal,there is no liability of the parts working loose.

What I claim isz.

.1. The method of forming ladders consisting in cutting out and removing sections of metal thereby forming a series of spaced openings, in a sheet of metal, leaving web portions between said openir gs, bending the web portions into U-'shape, and finally-bending said web portions until the edges meet, and turning insaid edges.

2. The method of forming laddeisconsisting in cutting a series of spaced openings in a sheet of' metal, leaving web-portions between said openings, bendinglthe ,web-por tions. into U-3hape,' and at the same time striking up ribs extending beyond said webportions, and then bending said web-por- 

